


Becoming

by ThePokeManik



Category: Bleach, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Being Homura Is Suffering, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Madohomu is endgame, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Rebellion Story, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:56:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29675259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePokeManik/pseuds/ThePokeManik
Summary: After regaining her powers, Madoka fought Homura, and she, unable to accept forgiveness, sought her own punishment. But it would seem that her journey isn't quite done yet, when she lands in one of the worst district Rukongai has to offer.
Relationships: Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

It was all crashing down around her. Homura hadn't needed time powers to realize that everything was eventually going to. She was used to good things not lasting long after all ( _46 days at most_ )

Madoka was standing above her.

_"She looks so sad..."_

Truly, Homura was the lowest of the low, to force her friend to fight, when she knew how much she disliked it.

All around them, the _(fake)_ town was in ruin in the aftermath of their stupid duel. One hating fighting and the other unwilling to hurt her adversary. 

_"What fools we are..."_

_"I ruin everything I touch, don't I?"_

Homura wasn't completely devoid of sense. She had known, maybe a day after capturing Madoka, that it was only a matter of time until she lost her grip on the goddess's power, and then everything would be lost. So she contented herself with being able to spend time with Madoka before she inevitably reached apotheosis again, and put her down, like you put down the dog that bites the hand that feeds.

_"I truly am trash, forcing Madoka to hurt me, knowing that it would hurt her..."_

She was breathing heavily, remembering past mistakes. She should've stopped when she still could ( _stubborn_ ), should've released her friends when they got caught up in it ( _cold-hearted_ ), should've believed in Madoka from the very start ( _pessimistic_ ), should've, should've, should've.

_"Really, I should've acted as Madoka deserved..."_

"Homura..."

Her breath caught. No. No, no, no, that was definitely not the tone of someone about to kill a friend, even a past friend.

"Everything is going to be alright, Homura, you'll see."

She couldn't breathe. It was just like when she was Homulily, she wasn't going to kill her. Madoka was unwilling to do what was necessary. The Devil tried to protest but her throat only croaked weakly.

"You've been terribly lonely all that time I was gone haven't you?"

 _"Do you think I forgot how lonely_ you _will be once I'm gone_ _? I know how to deal with loneliness_ (liar) _but you deserve better, Madoka!_ _"_

Homura had seen what the Law of Cycles meant for Madoka from the memories she had stolen. 

_Madoka sitting in the vastness of existence, surrounded solely by dim soul gems and stars._

Madoka didn't deserve such horrid punishment for her kindness, Homura did for her weakness, for failing to save her ( _again_ ), for betraying her, for-

"Don't worry Homura-chan, I'll be keeping you company from now on."

She didn't deserve to be saved at all.

Unseen by all, Okubyou rose from where she had fallen and readied another spear ( _coward_ )

It flew, straight and true.

Madoka dodged it effortlessly.

Homura caught it in the center of her palm.

A sound like glass shattering.

"HOMURA-CHAN! NO!"

_"I'm sorry Madoka..."_

* * *

Homura opened her eyes, surprised to still be able to. In front of her, a sort of counter. Behind it, an old man dressed in black and white. On his hip, a sword ( _strange seeing one that isn't a cutlass_ ) Wordlessly, he handed her a paper ticket and she took it ( _with a hand she half-expected to still see a speared through_ ) _,_ still stunned to be alive _._ Immediately after grasping it, she felt magic pouring out of it ( _no, not magic, but something very close in origin_ ) A flash of light blinded her, and her surroundings changed. She could hear footsteps around her, some exclamations of surprise ( _at her arrival?_ ) She could smell dust in the air, and when her vision returned, she could see everyone around her was barefoot, and wearing rags. They were looking ( _staring_ ) at her worryingly. The ticket in her hand had disappeared, but her hand was still extended. She let it fall to her side, numb.

She was in some sort of slums, in some backwater village. She was wearing some sort of white kimono, and was barefoot. The handful of people around her had started moving again, weaving around her, but not willing to stray close to her.

_"They're afraid."_

But not only of her, not even mostly of her. Their eyes wouldn't stop scanning their surroundings, keeping watch on everyone who came close to them. They all looked worried, as if anyone around them would attack them for any slight. They had resumed whatever they had been doing before she interrupted them, but wouldn't let her out of their sights for long, their eyes full of mistrust. Clearly, she would need to take the lead if she wanted to learn anything about this place. She scanned the unpaved and dirty roads, clearly not meant to support actual vehicles, and searched the people who stood all around her. Before long, she found a girl, surrounded by a gaggle of boys. All of them were close to her own age, maybe a little older. The girl was staring unabashed at her. Straight black hair and purple eyes, just like her.

_"Perfect."_

Homura started heading towards them, and locked eyes with the girl, who stood at the front of the group, daring her to leave before they talked. The red-head next to her stepped-up slightly in-front of her, but that only seemed to irritate the girl. The other three looked ready to bolt. 

"Hello, my name is Homura Akemi. I appear to be lost."

The red-headed one had an angry scowl on his face.

"You're more than lost, you're dead, in case you hadn't noticed." he said.

Homura nodded. "That's what I thought, but I seem to have lost track of what was happening between then and now."

The boys seemed uncertain at her calm demeanor, but the girl fired back promptly. "This is the 78th district of South Rukongai, Inuzuri."

"Rukongai?"

"It's where dead people go after they die."

Homura looked around her. Was this Hell? If there was an afterlife, that was definitely where she should've ended up, and the scenery certainly didn't bring Heaven to mind.

"Is this Hell?" she asked.

The boy seemed amused.

"I know this place is shit, but trust me, you'd rather be here than in Hell. Why you asking, were you expecting to end up there?"

Purgatory then? The boy was looking expectantly at her... She needed answers, but for those answers to be accurate, she needed her questions to be rooted in truth. Or at least half-truth.

"I was taught that suicide would ensure me a place in Hell, but I suppose this shows exactly how much the nuns who raised me knew." she said, watching how they would react to a (seemingly) straight forward answer.

They seemed unnerved to discuss her death so openly. Strange, haven't they died themselves before? The boys in the back were eyeing one another uncomfortably, the red-head was trying to keep a straight face but was unable to keep from flinching slightly at her raspy voice _(it would seem she hadn't fully healed from her death just_ _yet_ ), and the girl was still staring her in the eyes. Was she looking for a hint of deception? She continued when it became apparent that they wouldn't answer back.

"Well, now I know it doesn't I suppose. Would you be willing to tell me how things work around here?"

"Around here?" the girl asked.

"As opposed to how the living world works. I hardly think that the realm of the dead and that of the living follow the same rules."

The red-head scoffed. He seemed to be getting irritated with the conversation, and kept glancing at the girl, trying to make eye contact. She still refused to look away from me.

"Well tough luck Akemi, all of us here were born in this place, we wouldn't know what the difference would be."

That got her attention. Born here? People could still be born? Did that mean they could also die? She hadn't noticed, but now that she thought about it, there was a pinch of hunger in her stomach, and her throat was dry from all the dust in the air. Could she starve to death? Would she grow thirsty soon? What a strange afterlife...

"Where should I go to get food or water?"

The red-head laughed at her. "Look around you Princess! This ain't the Seireitei, we aren't exactly swimming in riches here!"

"Seireitei?"

"The center of Soul Society, surrounded by the 320 districts of Rukongai." the girl said "Nobility and Shinigamis live there."

So the rich district? And wait, Shinigamis? Well, after arriving to the afterlife, she supposed that Death Gods aren't exactly _that_ surprising. She had been a pseudo-god for a time and Mado-

"Thank you." Homura said hurriedly. Then without waiting for their response, she turned tail and left ( _fled_ ), ignoring the girl calling after her. Her view was soon blurry with unshed tears ( _dontshowweaknessdontshowweaknessdontshowweakness_ ) Before long, she had collapsed in a side street, and with her back to the wall, she broke down. She cried her heart out. She bit down on her fingers until they bled to stop her sobs from coming out, choking on the blood and her emotions. She cried over her death, over her survival, over the loss of her friend. But above all, she cried because she wanted to go back to spending everyday with Madoka, and she was a horrible person for wishing such a cruel fate on her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people! ThePokeManik here, with my first attempt at writing fanfiction! I've been reading fanfic for years now and decided that it was about time I stop thinking about stories and start writing some of them. This first chapter is kinda short, but I liked where it ended. Future chapters will probably be longer, but no promises! Please tell me what you think, all your feedback will be appreciated as I have little to no idea what I'm doing! Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Night had fallen, and Homura couldn't muster the strength to stand back up. Why should she? She was dead, and wouldn't ever see Madoka again ( _hopefully_ ) ( _unfortunately_ ) so what was the point? Her whole life for the last twelve years had revolved around her, and she couldn't even remember her life before having met her ( _it used to disturb her, forgetting her pre-wish life, but then she had realized that she hadn't been truly alive in that time. She had simply sat still while the world went on around her, until that first timeline, where she had finally decided to become an actor in her own right._ )

At this point it was undeniable that she was growing hungry and thirsty. People had long since stopped passing by the mouth of the alley she had collapsed in. She didn't have her soul gem ( _or dark orb_ ) anymore. She was back to being her weak, pathetic, useless self. _(She could almost hear Sayaka Miki mocking her ; the Devil, now as weak as a child)_ She could see the stars, shining bright above her. There was so little light pollution, it was kinda amazing. Homura found herself wondering if Madoka was already back in her ( _old_ ) prison. Could she see her down here in the dirt? Homura found herself imagining that if she looked hard enough, she could see a glimpse of pink warmth.

_"Hehe. Honestly, how deluded can I get? As if Madoka would spare me even a thought after everything I did to her... The thirst must be getting to me..."_

She wondered if she should just stay here until she starved or actually muster the effort to actively kill herself. Homura closed her eyes. At least she didn't have to hear her Clara Dolls whispering insults in her ear... She found herself missing their company nonetheless ( _anything was better than this cold loneliness_ ) _._ She hoped to drift to sleep soon, so that time would pass more quickly.

Suddenly, her eyes shot open. Something had fallen in her hair. Some sort of slime? Reaching up with her hand, it came back sticky and wet. Above her, some sort of monster was leaning over the edge of the decrepit building, over her head. It had a huge mask instead of a head, with a huge grinning mouth, hanging open. A drop of drool ( _not slime then_ ) fell on her face, and its claws dug into the ledge harder as it leaned deeper over her, exposing more of it's sick green body. Through the hole in between its collarbones, she could see the stars, in the sky. 

_"A Witch? Or this place's equivalent?"_

She could feel it in her bones. This _thing_ was hungering for her soul.

A long, slithering tongue came out of its maw, and wet its lips.

Abruptly, it jumped down, and came crashing down on her, and she dove out of the way, to the side towards the mouth of the alley..?

" _Why did I dodge_ that?"

She rolled and came out of the alley on her feet and was sprinting before she knew what was happening.

_"Why am I running away from my death? What am I running towards?"_

Her body was moving on her own, and behind her, crashing stomps. A quick glance behind her showed it standing in a simian fashion, resting on its knuckles at the end of its freakishly long arms. It's short legs were covered in brown fur, and he was hunched over. It stood easily as tall as two of her, but it's size belied it's speed if he got here this fast. All around her, people were peeking out of windows, before ducking down with an occasional scream. Clearly, being out in the open wouldn't get people to help her, so she needed to get out of the large street and try to lose it in the backstreets and alleys. Behind her, the beast roared and her bones shook. She waited until it lunged, and it did before long, it's huge maw gaping, looking to bisect her. She quickly dodged while it couldn't change its trajectory, and went down another alley to her right.

She ran down the alley ducking down in a new street at every opportunity. Her legs were burning. Without her magic, she had the body of a slightly out-of-shape fourteen year old girl. Once more, she cursed her weakness and uselessness. Behind her, she could hear the beast smashing into walls, taking turns too sharp. She was lucky it wasn't intelligent enough to follow her from the rooftops. If it had, she wouldn't have lasted half as long. 

Her breath was coming in harder and harder. Why was she torturing herself so? Wasn't she waiting for her death but a few minutes ago? Now she was running in moonlit alleyways, cutting up her bare feet on trash, scratching her hands on walls trying to take particularly sharp turns, struggling to even stay upright, but still pushing herself to sprint desperately. Why? Before she could find a satisfactory answer, she found herself in a dead-end. Quickly, she pivoted, trying to back-track to another fork in the road. But before she could take a second step, the monster rushed into the mouth of the alley, blocking it. 

" _So this is it."_

Homura found herself staring her death in the face ( _again?_ ). But even now, exactly like when she first saw the beast, she was trying to find escape routes. Could she scale that wall _(no_ _hand-holds_ ), could she juke a hit and go past it _(its large body didn't leave space on either of its sides_ ), could she call for help _(who would care_ ) But why? Homura still couldn't understand where this new found will to live came from. The beast seemed to understand that she couldn't run anymore, and was taking its time, approaching her one lumbering step at a time. Quickly, she turned back towards the dead-end. The wall was high, and she couldn't see any obvious handhols to scale it, but it was still her best bet. But honestly, she didn't expect to reach it. It was maybe 30 meters away, and the monster behind her would probably reach her in its next lunge.

Still, she ran. 

Until a cry ran from behind her. 

" _The beast!?_ "

She turned again, her long hair whipping the air, and saw that a stack of bricks had been dropped on it from the roof. Not enough to injure it, or even seriously slow it down, but it stunned it.

"Hey!" a voice said. Homura turned to her left, where it came from. There! On the roof, leaning over the edge, his hand out-stretched towards her, was the red-haired boy from earlier today. What was he doing here? Was he daft? Didn't he understand that, by helping her, he would just get chased down as well?

"What are you waiting for, stupid! Grab it!" The girl was there too. She was covered in dust. Had she been the one to push the bricks? A sound got her to look at the beast, who seemed to be shaking off the hit like a wet dog. Time was running out.

Homura took a step back, then ran two step forwards and jumped up to grab his hand, and he didn't waste time pulling her up. Clearly, she was too heavy for him to pull all the way up by himself, but the other girl grabbed her kimono as soon as she could reach it, and together they pulled her up the roof. Before a word could be exchanged ( _not that she would've talked, she could barely catch her breath_ ), a roar came from below, shaking the rafters. Immediately, the smaller girl grabbed Homura's hand and pulled her behind her. She was surprisingly strong, but that was a given if she dropped those bricks on that monster. Between some of the roofs, planks of wood had been stretched, allowing passage from one roof to the next. The girl ran on the plank with the ease of habit, and Homura could only follow along. Behind them, the boy followed, and behind him, the beast pulled itself up onto the roof easily with its long arms and gave chase.

Homura honestly didn't rate their chance of survival very high. Before, down in the alleys, she could at least outmaneuver the beast and force it to constantly change direction, not allowing it to build up speed in a straight line. But here on the roof, they were the ones being outmaneuvered. The gorilla-like beast could easily clear the gaps between roofs with a jump, while they could only use those roofs that had been linked together by planks. Homura risked a glance backwards over her shoulder, letting the girl lead her ( _her hand uncomfortably warm around hers_ ) It was closing in fast on them. The boy behind her saw her eyes widening, clearly understanding what she was seeing. Seeing the creature prepare for a final lunge, she pulled the other girl to a stop, and grabbed the other boy's arm when he almost went past, not expecting having to stop so soon. When the beast lunged towards them, she quickly threw herself back down towards the street, dragging the other two with her. All three of them smashed against the ground painfully, the two others not expecting the change of direction and subsequent dive, and Homura unable to race herself properly while pulling them along.

She coughed, choking on the cloud of dust they had created while landing, and on her short breath. Homura didn't think she could run any longer. Her legs felt like lead and her heart was pounding thunderously. But it was still regular, thankfully ( _had her heart been fixed? On second thought, she didn't have her glasses either_ ) The other two still seemed semi-fresh, though dirtier and shorter of breath than this morning ( _was that blood on the boys clothing? But he doesn't seem injured, was that there this morning? No, she would've noticed it in the daylight if she can see it here in the moonlight_ ) She half-expected them to bail on her and leave her behind as bait to slow down the creature, but before she could think twice about it, the boy dove for a solid plank of wood, and once the creature followed them down to the street, he jumped up and smashed it down unto its head. 

The plank was turned into splinters, but the beast barely flinched. Once the boy landed, a huge arm was swung across his body, sending the boy flying down the street with a scream. Homura's hair whipped around her in the wind his flight caused. He rolled down the street in the dust, stopped, and didn't get up.

"Renji!"

_"Is that his name?"_

The beast was already heading towards them, barrelling down the street. The girl had turned away, running towards the boy down the street from them. 

Homura couldn't help but remember another black-haired and purple-eyed running head first into danger for a friend.

"Fuck" Homura said. And then she was running towards the monster.

He swung his arm again, and Homura ducked, and then rolled to carry her momentum past it, trying to make it turn away from the teens. But before she could stand back up, the other arm came towards her. The beast had done a full spin, predicting her roll. Apparently, she had dodged past it one too many time for it not to notice her intention and not take countermeasures against it. As quick as she could, Homura threw her arms up and in front of her face. The huge fist back-handed her and threw her across the street, and she landed not far behind the girl and Renji(?) in agony ( _God her arms hurt_ )

 _"Shit_ _"_

From where she was, she could see the boy laying down, and the girl shaking him trying to wake him up. "Renji!" She seemed to finally lose her nerve, wound up her arm, and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"OW! What the hell was that!" 

_"How did that work?"_

"Renji! Stand up, now!" And she pulled him up, but he immediately collapsed back down on one knee with a cry.

"Shit!" They both said together. Then the beast roared, and there wasn't any time to think. It was rushing the two of them, and Homura was standing back up.

She rushed it again. This time, when it swung its fist, she dove towards one of its legs, grabbed it, braced her shoulder against the leg just under the knee ( _biting down on a scream from the pain in her upper body_ ) and lifted as much as she could. The monster lost balance for a half-second, but quickly braced itself using one of its arms against the ground. Homura didn't know what she was expecting exactly. She kept overestimating her strength, still thinking she could lift her own weight easily ( _so weak_ ) With a quick shake of its leg, it made Homura's grip loosen, and then a huge hand grabbed the back of her kimono, lifting her up above its head.

Quickly, Homura shook off the garment, and fell down onto its head, and kicked it in its eyehole as hard as she could. 

"Fuck!" Her toes definitely felt broken, but the beast definitely felt that, as it quickly threw back its head, shaking her off, and roared to the sky. Homura rolled as she landed, but now she was definitely out of it. She couldn't breath at all, and her vision was blurry from the pain ( _constantly disconnecting her body from her soul while fighting wasn't conducive to developing pain resistance_ ) She made eye contact with the girl on the other side of the monster. _Run,_ she mouthed to her, unable to gather the breath to scream. 

Homura definitely had the beast's attention after all that. If that girl wanted the boy's safety, she better grab him and run away from here while the monster was distracted. 

_"At least I was able to help someone again before I died..."_ Homura thought to herself grimly.

"Like hell!" the girl screamed. And then she was running towards Homura, to the younger girl's surprise. The beast turned back towards the sound, but she had already dove down between its legs, before standing up again between hunter and prey. 

"What are you, stupid?" Homura asked. "If you had just run, you probably could've taken your friend with you and lost it, while it wasted its time on me."

"You're the stupid one! What, you think I could've lived with myself if you'd died for me and Renji to live!? Renji wouldn't have been able to take it either, so save it, you moron!" the standing girl exclaimed, incensed.

* * *

_"Listen, let's just run away. There's nothing we can do, so... No one will blame you."_

_"Homura-chan... I'm really glad I became friends with you."_

* * *

"We hardly know each other." Homura whispered.

The beast roared and started to rush them.

"Well, my name's Rukia, nice to meet you."

Homura sighed. _"Honestly. The least I can do is reciprocate."_ "Homura Akemi"

"Well my name's Ikkaku, nice to meet you!" A third voice interjected, speaking over the scream of the beast as its blood splattered down unto the ground, followed by the thud of its arm, landing away from the rest of its body.

_"What?"_

In front of the both of them, a tall, bald man wearing a black robe ( _similar to the one the old man she had first seen after her death had worn_ ) with both sleeves torn off, and a Japanese sword resting on his shoulder, held in his hand, dripping blood. He was smiling broadly ( _madly_ )

"Glad to see you girls are still in high spirits! But give me a second to finish up things here, and we'll talk afterwards!" he declared, before turning around and dashing towards the beast. 

" _What the hell, when did he get here, where did he come from?_ " Homura was stunned.

"A Shinigami? We're saved?" Rukia said, falling on her knees, adrenaline draining out of her.

" _A Shinigami? Is that what they look like?_ " Meanwhile, Ikkaku was absolutely destroying the monster. An arm would come swinging, and he'd dodge it like it was the easiest thing in the world ( _it wasn't, Homura had the scrapes to prove it_ ) and dart in for a cut or two, and then dart back out.

"He's playing with it," Homura said. " _He doesn't feel even the least bit threatened_ " He could cut through its arm in a single swing like it was nothing, but all of a sudden, he could only barely scratch it? Now that it was disarmed? " _Bullshit_ "

Homura felt humiliated. She was so weak, she could barely remember what it was like before she got magic, and now, she could only lay down in the dirt and choke on dust, waiting for some passing man to save her " _Cut the crap! Is he mocking me, my efforts? Rubbing my face in my own uselessness_?! _"_

* * *

_"I want to become strong enough to protect her!_ "

* * *

" _I_ _hate it! I hate it hate it hate it! I didn't ever want to feel this powerless ever again! I **don't**_ (just thinking about it in present tense made her want to vomit) _ever want to feel this powerless ever again!"_

She could taste blood on her tongue.

She had bitten clean through her bottom lip in her frustration, and now her jaw was straining from how hard her teeth were grinding. Rukia was still staring at the man, who apparently had grown bored of the fight, and had dashed in close, before bisecting the beast in one swing. Homura spat the blood in her mouth on the ground before anyone turned toward her, which Ikkaku did promptly. "Damn, I was really expecting more from a Hollow that was smart enough to avoid detection in Rukongai this long, but it couldn't even talk, I don't think. At least it didn't answer me." he finished with a sigh. 

He flicked his wrist, cleaning his blade free of blood, sheathed it, and then approached them. Behind him, the _Hollow(was that what he_ _called_ ) was turning into motes of light, before just disappearing in middair.

"Hmm, yeah, you girls are kinda giving off a semi-strong vibe, that boy over there too... Probably why Ugly was chasing after you guys so hard huh?" he said with a grin. "If you want to get out of this shithole, get your asses to Seireitei, and become Shinigamis, you sure got the potential. And if you ever get anywhere near strong, come find me, and give me a good fight, yeah?" 

And then he was gone, jumping on the roofs.

* * *

Homura, Renji and Rukia were overlooking Inuzuri from a cliff. Behind them, three graves were erected. Apparently, before they had crossed paths, the Hollow had been chasing their group, and they'd lost the three teens she had seen with them the day before. Old friends apparently. Homura hadn't said anything and hadn't helped ( _hadn't felt like her place to offer_ ) while they had built these symbolic graves ( _apparently, Hollows eat their prey whole_ ) And now they were overlooking Inuzuri.

" _In the morning light, one could almost forget a monster was rampaging through it just last night eating teens._ " Homura thought. 

"Renji..." Rukia was standing at the edge of the cliff. "Let's become Shinigamis. Then we can live inside the Seireitei. They say life is better in there." Her voice was steady, but her hands were clenched tight into fists, shaking on either side of her body.

A beat.

"Yeah..." Renji's voice was lower, almost a whisper. "Let's become Shinigamis."

"What about you?" Rukia asked Homura, still looking over the district. Indistinct voices could be heard, a veritable brouhaha of noise, everyone learning or telling someone about what happened overnight. " _What about me? Do I want to become a Shinigami?_ " Homura wasn't sure.

"We are going to be heading towards the first districts no matter what, so it wouldn't be any problem if you wanted to come with us."

Homura still didn't know why she should continue on living, but clearly she _wanted_ to live. If her own body went against her desire to die, clearly she needed to think on this longer, see if she could find some reason why she needed _(or wanted_ ) to keep on going ( _Homura didn't like to think of the last time she lost her direction ; when she managed to completely disconnect from everything, wasting away with a facsimile of Madoka_ ) but one thing was absolutely certain.

* * *

_"Homura-chan... I'm really glad I became friends with you."_

* * *

Homura was never going to watch someone's back while they fight ever again. So she needed to become strong again.

She could still see it in her mind's eye. A sword flashing faster than her eyes could follow, a gigantic fist stopped with a single hand, the Hollow that had thrown her around so easily being swatted aside like a fly.

"I'll go with you." Homura said. That had Rukia turning around. "I am Homura Akemi. I'll be in your care." She said with a short bow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! ThePokeManik here with chapter 2 of Becoming! First of all, thank you guys sooo much for your reviews and Kudos last chapter! I was really happy to see you guys reacting to what I wrote, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! 
> 
> This is my first time writing anything even remotely close to having this much action in it, so please let me know what you think! Also, we just met Ikkaku for the first time! He wasn't there for long, but, hey, you know, he came by. I don't know if he'll have an important role in this story yet (still a little wishy-washy on some characters) but he'll definitely (read probably) be coming back later-ish!
> 
> I don't think we really know what happened to Rukia's and Renji's friends in canon for them to die, but I always imagined something like this happened to motivate them to become Shinigamis. 
> 
> If you can't tell, I really am more knowledgeable about the PMMM sides of things (and even then I'm far from perfect), so if some Bleach connoisseurs want to challenge me on this, or anything else that goes against pre-existing canon, please tell me, and I'll tell you if it's a mistake on my part or part of the AU, because I'm pretty sure some parts of this fic in the future will absolutely go against pre-existing rules.
> 
> Please let me know what you liked, or what you think could be improved! I still have a lot to learn, so please help me on my route to becoming a better writer!
> 
> Thank you for reading this!
> 
> ThePokeManik


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